In the Muslim community, if you would like to know if someone is lying or telling the truth, all you have to do is ask them to say āwallahā. Wallah is an Arabic word and expression which is used to make a promise by god. It holds such great credibility in the Islamic religion. Whether you speak Arabic or not, if you are in an Arabic household, the word wallah will come up quite a bit in just one day or even one sentence. Arabic speakers most commonly use this phrase to swear by something. Arabic speaking Muslims consider it as the most divine way to confirm something without the need of actual proof. Despite this, Arab Muslims use it quite often, even if the matter is true or not. Non-Muslim Arabs also use it often, even though they lack the belief in Allah (god). Every Arab knows that feeling when a Muslim says “Wallah” after every sentence and the more they say “Wallah” the more you DONT trust them. Depending on the Arabic dialect you use in your daily life, it is also pronounced āwallaheeā, but for the sake of this essay, I will be using āwallahā.
Despite it being considered disrespectful to use the word āwallahā and not be truthful, it is used quite a lot. This is where religion and culture come into play. In the Islamic religion the word āwallahā has such a strong powerful meaning behind it. Misuse of this expression will be considered profane. It is as if you are lying in the name of god. Religiously, this word is only used when it absolutely has to be used, to let the other person know that you are telling the truth and not lying. It is a way to make a point of yours, valid. It is a sin to use the phrase and follow it up with a lie. Sometimes this word can be intensified by using it on yourself or even someone you love. For example, āwallah on my soulā or āwallah on my motherās life.ā When using it on yourself or someone you love it makes the word have more meaning and the person you are saying it to is more likely to believe you. Religiously, saying wallah and lying means that you have to fast 3 days in a row. (fasting: you cannot eat from sunrise to sunset.)
Now, using the word culturally is a different story. The word āwallahā will be in almost every single sentence when speaking to another Arabic speaker. Even non-Arabic speakers use this word. Like, my former basketball team, my coaches, even my high school teachers. Sometimes it could be used in the beginning of a sentence to start it off and also at the end of a sentence to end it. Such as, āWallah this movie sucksā or āoh my god Wallah youāre annoyingā or my favorite, āWallah shut up.ā It can also be used in different ways depending on the tone you say it in. People nowadays can use wallah and mean, āI promise.ā or āare you serious!?āĀ And of course, āI swear to godā. Itās more like a cultural term rather than religious now a days. Itās crazy how much timesĀ this word will pop up in a conversation between friends or familyā¦ more times than youāll be able to count. And this word can be used in any part of a sentence, for example you can say: āWallah you wonāt believe what happened to me, wallah even if I told you, you wouldnāt believe it wallah!ā
When I was younger I took the word āwallahā seriously. Donāt get me wrong I still do but overtime I guess one could say that it lost its meaning a little. I would pronounce it as āvallahā and thatās how you knew that I was lying. But I would say it in a low and fast tone so the person I am speaking to doesnāt catch on. I literally use the word āwallahā in mostly every single sentence I say, wallah. My brother would always tell me that every time I say wallah to him he doesnāt trust me because I am always saying it. So, I guess I have to intensify it and add my motherās life next time. Maybe heāll believe me then. I even got my best friend using the word now. Sometimes I think she takes It more seriously than I should.
Itās my first day back to college and Iām on my first of two trains. I am seated at the corner of the train looking at the dirty floor awkwardly trying not to make eye contact with anyone. I worry about class as bad outcomes rush through my head. I am afraid. Suddenly, the song changes in the random Spotify playlist that I am listening to. Through my headphones I hear a female voice sing powerfully to me āFear you donāt own meā¦ā It is the perfect and most comforting song during my situation. It is āThe Breakup Songā by Francesca Battistelli. I find peace while listening and gain control of my situation as I command fear to leave.
When I tell people about āThe Breakup Songā most people assume that itās some sappy love song about a harsh breakup. I was kind of surprised myself when I first read the title. The song isnāt about breaking up with a loved one at all, but rather a hated one; fear. Fear is one of our worst enemies. It prevents us from meeting our full potential and gets in the way of success and happiness. Fear is also a great topic to write a song about and I am glad that Francesca Battistelli has chosen it. Everyone can relate to it and many can be encouraged to overcome their fears.
The first few encouraging words comes from the beginning three lines of the song. Francesca sings āSick and tired of being sick and tired. Had as much of you as I can take. Iām so done, so over being afraidā. For those who regularly experience fear in their everyday lives fear tends to get a bit annoying. It feels like someone trying to stop you from doing what you want to do. When you try to get out of your comfort zone it pushes you back in. It controls your actions and limits what you can do. Francesca has most likely had an experience close to this. She got sick and tired of it and was strong enough to break free and write this song in order to help others break free as well.
The first line in the chorus also sets a powerful tone and encourages the listener to take control of their lives. āFear you donāt own meā shows that Francesca is speaking to fear itself and is putting it in its place. I believe that sheās telling fear that it can no longer control her life. She sets a good example for her fans that follow in her footsteps. They too are encouraged by her words and strive to defeat fear. When I first heard the song myself it provided me with the strength that I needed to overcome my obstacles and do what I once was not able to do. I was afraid to go to college because of my fear of not being good enough due to my past school experiences. When I heard the powerful words āFear you donāt own meā it provided me with a wider perspective. I am not alone; even very successful people experience fear sometimes. You shouldnāt allow it to control you and throw you around.
Towards the end of the song, Francesca asks the listener to āSing along with meā and āSing fear, you donāt own meā. She helps them to break up with fear by telling fear itself that it doesnāt own them. She sings āIf you donāt know how to say it Sing along with meā. While we are distressed and donāt know what to say or do, she guides us to ending the unhealthy relationship that we have with fear.
A music video was created for āThe Breakup Songā. While watching the video I noticed Francesca Battistelli writing a note in a brief clip. When I paused the video, I saw what was written on the note. She was writing the lyrics to the song. This leads me to believe that the song itself is a letter to fear. It is both a break up and goodbye letter to fear, hence the title of the song. Towards the end of the video, Francesca is seen packing a bag with a telephone, scale, top 100 list and a goodbye letter. I believe that she is packing fearās bags and demanding it to leave. She is sending away all her personal fears that have troubled her throughout her life.
Like Francesca, we should send our fears out the door as well. If she didnāt get rid of fear it would have held her back from her goals. She might not have been able to perform in front of millions and would not have written this song. Many like me would not have heard āThe Breakup Songā and built up the courage to disown fear and succeed. I would probably not have made it to class that day if I hadnāt heard this song.
The opioid crisis is one that, unfortunately, too many people can relate to. Whether it be them, a friend, or a close family member, it is a topic that hits close to home with many Americans. And its been then way since the early 90’s. “The number of opioid prescriptions dispensed by doctors steadily increased from 112 million prescriptions in 1992 to a peak of 282 million in 2012, according to the market research firm IMS Health”(CNN). A lot of people blame the music that the younger generation is listening to nowadays, as a main culprit in this epidemic. This is due to the various references to drugs that a majority of rap artists use. Such an influence spans outside the “hood”, especially today. Kids from a suburban neighborhood, or kids who didn’t necessarily grow up in a bad neighborhood, might be listening to the same artist that a kid living in the Bronx, or in the projects is listening to. And both are hearing the same words as each other. People love to give the argument that drugs are being depicted in a false manner, that drugs are being glorified. But, not all rappers are built the same.
The time is 12:35 am. I am returning home from work, hands aching. The blisters on my hands remind me of the work I put in during my shift. I’m listening to my music, as I usually do. I pause my music, just for a second-and the stark contrast of the dead silence makes me remember where I am. The Ā faint smell of beer permeates the cart, most likely coming from the homeless man sleeping on the far opposite end. I periodically shift from side to side, swaying along with the train as it makes its way through its destined path. I am watching all of the building pass by. Most of the window lights are off, but equally as much are on, burning midnight oil. Listening to Lucki, I feel like I am not so alone in my thoughts. Even though no one is there, I am not alone. I am more accepting of who I am.
Lucki (formerly known as Lucki Eck$), is a rapper from Chicago. I personally have been a fan of Lucki for a few years now, but his music is starting to “blow up”, for the lack of a better term. Like a lot of artists today, he is known for his references to controlled substances. Now, I can you rolled your eyes, but its not in the way you might think. Lucki talks about the dark side of the pills he takes, the drink he sips, how its all killing him slowly. And he knows it. But he’s in the hands of the drug, and seems to have little to no control of his needs. Lucki also talks about his personal problems with depression. About how he uses drugs to “block out” all of the bad things that are going on in his life. The drugs help him forget. I think the point Lucki is trying to make is that all of these people around him are fake, “smiling when they losing”. But, even though people call him an addict, and label him as one, he is more genuine than most. This is because Lucki expresses his emotions, what life, and drugs, and depression, and withdrawal are doing to him, how its affecting Him. He may conceal his depression, but doesn’t ignore that fact that it still exists.
Lucki reminds us that turning to drugs for helps may help short term, but controls your life in the long run.
What makes Lucki so different than other rappers is how raw and unapologetic he is about what he does. This especially pertains to rappers who are known to reference drugs in their music. While a vast majority of those artists seem to talk about drugs as if they aren’t harmful, like its normal in a way. Contrarily, Lucki gives the bitter with the sweet. He is not scared to admit that he is addicted, he seems to embrace it in a way. Lucki says, “When that sip drought, stomach rip and pout”. What Lucki is actually talking about is the symptoms of withdrawal of lean (Codeine with Promethazine syrup). The constant stomach turning, sweats, etc, remind you how dependent you are to this drug. It comes to a point where the user needs all of these drugs, just to feel “normal”. Lucki goes on to say, “How could I be worried about what they say/When that seal crack it feel like payday”(Lucki) Now, Lucki is actually saying a lot in these lines right here. Like any popular, or up and coming artist, they are far too familiar with constant criticism of practically everything they do. Lucki obviously doesn’t seem to care about what other people think about his drug use, nor how he handles his feelings. In fact, Lucki refers to “cracking the seal” (breaking the safety seal on pints of lean) to feeling like payday. I think this speaks volumes to how highly Lucki views his drugs. This point is further proven in the following lines, “How you findin’ trouble on your vacay/You called me a addict and thats okay”(Lucki) The entire somber tone of these lyrics, paired with the blunt reality of how drowning out his pain with drugs has taken over. It seems that Lucki places his percocets, xanax, lean, etc over his relationships. And Lucki is fine with that, as long as he has what he really needs.
Like aforementioned, the opioid crisis has affected practically everyone in some way. Everyone, including myself, have known someone or heard stories of people using painkillers. Especially today’s youth. Even though Lucki’s reference of various drug use is prevalent in all of his songs, it is not because its popular to make music talking about such drugs. Not only because a lot of people can relate to him, and how he feels. But because its what he feels, its what’s true to him. He could never fake shit for nobody, and thats what makes him so different.
Bibliography:
āLucki ā You Called Me.ā Genius, 12 Aug. 2017, genius.com/Lucki-you-called-me-lyrics.
In our society people are treating each other unfairly just because of the different skin color and based on there ethnic group but nobody is seeing this as a problem. The song āim not racistā by Joyner Lucas is about a white guy and a black giving there view point of racism in there own way and how it affects them in the society. The white guy talks about how heās not a racist but he is tired how black people are going about things in life for example he stated Yellin’ “nigga this” and “nigga that” Call everybody “nigga” and get a nigga mad As soon as I say “nigga” then everyone react. This shows that black people be looking at white people as people thats wants to be like them or just being the people that look down on them like they use to in the slavery era. Also he states that how he dont like how black are not being there for their kids or helping them financially but instead they are wasting money on weed, partying on the road and that they dont got they priorities straight. Also they dont have goals for themselves so they dont even know where to go after a certain point. Additionally they rather sell drugs than get a job. The black guy talks about how theirs nothing wrong with black people saying the word nigga because we know thats how we great each other but when the white people use it has a double meaning and that they cant use it because they have black friends because they made up that word to throw black people under. Also he states that white people are trying to take black culture and make it theirs. Ā He is tired of how the cops is always trying to start something for no reason, they stop and question a black guy just because he is black but they would not do that to a white person. This shows how we might live in the same place but we are in two different worlds. We are world were people are treated different because of the color of our skin and certain people got certain privileges this shows how unfair this world is. We also treat one another unfairly in this society. Black people are being harassed by white people especially by the white cops, they also have to deal with the racism by others and the criticism that they get for certain they or even how they want to live their life. In the song he states that āJudging me by my skin color and my blackness Tryna find a job but ain’t nobody call me back yet Now I gotta sell drugs to put food in my cabinetā. This shows how white people are criticizing how black people are trying make money but they are not talking about how they are trying to get to get jobs to support themselves or for there family but its hard because of the racial profiling thats going on in this society so a job would pick up a white person first before a black person. In this day and age its very hard for a black to have a successful career because of how people look at them thats why black people treat and look at white people in a certain way.
White people gets look at differently by black people because of everything thats going starting from the president to the people in there society. Some call us niggers and would state that the world need to go back to the old days where we were still slaves and thats why some will say that president trump need to make the world great again which they referring to that era. Thats why black have this type of attitude towards white people. But not all white people think like that but black people tend to treat all of them the same which in a way is unfair. This is why there is unfair treatment between black and white people and this is not going to change no time soon.
The song āim not racistā was released on November 28 2017 which has 2.4 million views. The song was made to shows two men one black and one white in a warehouse and they are given the opportunity to air there racial grievances at one another. Throughout the song āIm not racistā is repeated in order to show people that they are not racist but they just want to understand each other better and understand what one another is going through. The white man raps about how black people are lazy, government assistance dependent criminals who use slavery as an excuse for our behavior and are more concerned with looking cool than taking care of our kids. Whereas the black man raps about racism is basically the reason weāre forced to do the things the white guy accuses us of doing. But after both men are done rapping they hug to show that they finally got a good understanding of one another.
Therefore in conclusion people should treat should people fairly because its not fair to treat other people unfair just because of the color of there skin or just because of there race. Everyone should treat people the way you wish to be treated by others.
The artist Kendrick Lamar (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most skillful and successful hip-hop artists of his generation. Raised in Compton, California, Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the stage name K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). He began to gain recognition in 2010, after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated.
One of his music videos is particularly interesting to me as it includes many captivating scenes and words. That particular video was released in 2017 and got a lot of attention. In addition to being a very well-sounding song, it also includes messages depicted with scenes. Through this song, the singer addresses Americans, but more precisely Black people, women, corrupt people and more directly to those taking part in that racial segregation and or profiling. The purpose of this song was to highlight what black people are still going through and how it affects the way they live and the way they act. The content was expressed in a lyrical and explicit way to the audience and the original oeuvre may be somewhat inappropriate for underaged people.
From the music video, it is clear that the artist put a lot of work to make things look exactly the way he wanted it to look. Scenes throughout the video have meanings and are meant to send messages to the audience. In the introduction, we can see Kendrick standing still dressed like a pope portraying āHUMBLEā manners till he starts singing with somewhat a though character.Ā This scene represents the āawakeningā, stating that none can consider one ethnicity to be superior to another, and still expect the oppressed people to stay nice. As a side note to that scene, oppression is not āChristianā. Suddenly, from a pope driving the word of God, Kendrick turned into a different personality where many girls are sitting next to him counting money. This scene represents how media takes advantage of the hard work of others. The women counting his money also have masks on their faces which means that they are undercover. Next, a scene shows him in the middle of a dinner table covered in red with wine and bread on it, and other people sitting along. This scene depicts the famous diner Jesus had before being crucified. This scene has been interpreted in many music videos by other artists such as A$AP Ferg, Nas, and Stormzi. That scene more particularly shows that the people you just broke bread with, can betray you.
Another scene shows Kendrick in front of a group of men with their heads on fire and other streets guys in the background. He then mentioned āDreamersā, to illustrate how racist people think, their selfish manners when they feel like someone is taking over. Their heads are on fire due to their dreams that they canāt reach and are forced to live like the guys in the far background. On another scene with a little bit of controversy, he says that he is ātired of Photoshopā and that he needs something natural then displays a girl in two screens (natural and āphotoshoppedā), where the girl seems to look even better natural! That scene causes a bit of controversy from the feminists. Some seemed offended for being portrayed as āphotoshoppedā because they use makeup. But on the other hand, some people say that he just stated his preference and that nobody should feel concerned. The meaning of the scene was tricky as he mentioned Richard Pryor who was an American stand-up comedian, and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential stand-up comedians of all time.
Pryor won an Emmy Award (1973) and five Grammy Awards (1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982). In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award.
Pryor’s body of work includes the concert movies and recordings: Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin’ (1971), That Nigger’s Crazy (1974), …Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial Nigger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982), and Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983). As an actor, He collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder. Another frequent collaborator was actor/comedian/writer Paul Mooney.
He starred mainly in comedies such as Silver Streak (1976), but occasionally in dramas, such as Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar (1978), or action films, such as Superman III (1983).
In addition, the first-ever Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was presented to him in 1998. He was listed at number one on Comedy Central’s list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians.[1] In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him first on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time. He also actively fought against racism and the fact that some people change their appearance just to fit into society.
A well-known scene forms an old commercial was also illustrated, where he exchanges a jar from the back of a car to another man inside another car. The original commercial scene was made by two white men and he shows that the same scene among black Americans can be interpreted as a criminal activity.
The same action is judged different when done by someone of adifferent race. Next, he then appears in a house with gun lasers pointing at him. That scene shows media attack towards African-Americans and says itās even worse than alcohol abuse. By āBe humble! Sit downā, Kendrick illustrate what African- American have been told. He then appears in the middle of bold head black men face down (oppressed), saying ābe humble, sit downā, with him in the middle signifies that he is the voice with his face facing up no matter what he is being told. The following scene shows him between a group of black people in high status with their faces up and him wearing white to tell the difference and show that he will keep the battle going.
This music video is very entertaining, but the main idea behind this video was mostly about showing the audience facts about what is going on, that racist people are brainwashing the masses so they can think negative about African American. Considering the actual situation, such oppression does not help at all, it makes some people stop caring and just do what they are mostly considered to be doing, bad things. It was an overall very interesting song with many messages that the audience needs to understand even though some of the content were a source of questioning and controversy.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā The āMiddle childā of society
Itās my first day back to college and Iām on the train to school. Ā I am leaning on the doors of the train as usually do. Looking at my phone as swipe throw peoples snapchats. As I swipe throw my friends post most of them are all talking about J. Coleās new song. I am interested now wanting to know what the hype is about the new song. Suddenly, I am putting the name of the song into my search box on Apple music. Ā Through my headphones, I hear a males voice rapping to a nice beat. As I keep listening to the song I’m starting to like more and more. Thinking to myself J. Coles song Middle Child Ā is really good like I see why everyone is talking about it. As I listen to the song I thought to myself I’m happy I was being a little bit nosy because I have a new song to add to my playlist.
Cole is a rapper that always tries to talk about things that are happening now and things he deals with as a person. In the first verse of the song, cole is already talking about something big by saying ā I do not snort powder, I might take a sip I might hit the blunt, but I’m liable to trip I ain’t poppin’ no pill, but you do as you wishā. J. Cole talks about the use of drugs when being in the industry. On his 2018 album KOD, which stands for āKids On Drugs,ā Cole seems to take time to bring up the issue with people willing and supports using substance abuse in the hip-hop industry.
As we make our way throw the song Cole bring up another topic society today and the struggles āToo many ni**as in cycle of jail Spending they birthdays inside of a cell We coming from a long bloodline of trauma We raised by our mamas, Lord we gotta heal We hurting our sisters, the babies as well We killing our brothers, they poisoned the well Distorted self image, we set up to fail I’ma make sure that the real gon’ prevail, ni**aā. Cole is right there is a cycle young man going to jail coming out and going right back into a cell. Cole also touches on how these traumatic environments and events can cause long term problems for Black people making it hard. People killing each other over stupid things and women being physically and sexually abused. He also talks about the system were they always want to put people within their established stereotypes and styles. Therefore ending the real image of who we are.
J .Cole uses is music to speak about the topics people donāt really want to talk about. As other rappers talk about money, sex, drugs, and gangs. Cole talks about the uses of drugs because it needs to talked about. That the use of drugs is killing everyone and all different ages. Drugs havenāt just affected the music industry its has affected people everywhere. It has broken up families, losing family to the drugs and losing people at a young age.
Cole talks about the fact that how these traumatic environments and events can cause long term problems for Black people making it hard. People are killing each other over stupid things and women being physically and sexually abused. These are some other topics that people donāt want to talk about but they need to know. Your environment is something that affects you a lot. They shape you to the person that you will become because you donāt know anything different. Living in these traumatic environments growing up and seeing gangs, drugs, people killing each other is something you only know. People telling you-you’re not going to make it that you’re going to be like everyone you see. And this is something big on the black community that living in these types of environments youāre not going to be any different than the people you see every day. A woman being physically and sexually abuse is another thing that has affected many. Boyfriends and husbands beating on their woman as if they are a piece of property. This is something that no one should have to go throw. These are somethings people would say is mainly caused by the black community and no one wants to talk about it they just push it to the side and make the black community look bad. This is where J. Cole comes in as he knows his music reaches out to many. Therefore he could send out the message of what needs to to be said. Ā
J.cole is an artist that wants a change to happen in the life we all live. Ā As there are many things wrongs with us we can change it. We could teach our kids what they should and shouldnāt do as the new generation, therefore, they donāt make the same mistake we already have done. To make a change for the better of the community and for you.
XXXTentacion And His Mind that we never got to figure out.
Album: Ā āSKINSā
Song: āTRAIN FOODā
Ā Ā
I remember when i first heard the song āTRAIN FOODā it hit me like a moving train that has run off track. I tend to listen to simpler songs, songs with meanings like depression and bad breakups. But this one was different, i’ve never experienced a song like this.
I was laying down in bed and it was almost midnight, it was pretty cold outside but i still had my fan on. I was wrapped in my fluffy blanket, and had my headphones in my ears ready to listen to my late night tunes. I always listen to music before i go to sleep since i have trouble sleeping and this helps. I go onto my Apple music and see that XXXTentacion album āSKINSā was released. I listened to the first song and loved it, āTRAINFOODā is the third song listed on the album. At first i was listening to it more like a regular song but certain lyrics stood out to me.
āHis frequency distorted quick, i seen it in his image, I shouldāve run right Fucking there.ā
This line caught my attention and i really started to pay closer attention to what he was saying. I also realized how this song almost was like he was talking, it didnāt sound like he was singing or even rapping just sounded like he was having a conversation with listeners. As i listened to the rest of the song what really scared me was when he said āNow itās here, Death has now arrived, times finally up.ā After the song finished all i kept thinking about is that line. It wouldnāt leave my head for hours trying to figure out what he meant. Until i decided to dig deeper.
Ā Ā XXXTentacion album āSKINSā released December 7, 2018 months after his death in middle June. He was shot in Deerfield Beach by Dedrick D. Williams and shortly after died on the way to the hospital. When āSKINSā was released it showed lots of deep symbolism and dark themes in his lyrics. The lyrics can be disturbing to read and analyze but also listening to his sound in music can be hard to listen too. But analyzing further itās interesting to know what kind of message he was trying to send overall to listeners. Ā
I remember I had walked home that day
Content with all my misery
(This line is very powerful in its own sense, and he says this line a few times in the song. It just shows that he has given up and has comes to term that its always going to be miserable for him)
Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me
(Kept telling himself it will get better, but it just all got worse from there)
Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance
I was dressed for winter weather
But the summer rays were kissing me
I, I was lost
So I took a different path, in the distance he awaited me
(meaning he had taken a different path with drugs and violence in his life at this point, i think than he realized because of this path heās chosen now he faces death because of it.)
Had no weapon, I’m guessing his hands were just enough for me
Was no question, I’m guessing he laughed just at the sight of me
I was lost
(This could mean his history with drugs and gang violence)
I remember I had walked home that day
Content with all my misery
Told my self it’d get better, no clue what there was next to me
Remember there was people, walkin’, talkin’ in the distance
I was dressed for winter weather
But the summer rays were kissing me
I, I was lost
And there he was, his presence was alarming
As he approaches casual, we talk ’bout self-harming
He told me “kid, you shouldn’t be walkin’ on your own”
He smiled and laughed, and pat my back
He said, “how far are you from home?”
I said, “maybe 30 minutes”
His frequency distorted quick, I seen it in his image
I should’ve run right fucking there, I-
(I think he may be talking about death here, the conversation he is having is with death. In a lot of his songs he always talks about death, and i think all along he always knew he would die very young)
You ever woke up on a train track
With no motherfuckin’ clothes on?
Death before your eyes, you prayin’ to God, but ain’t no response
Trying to scream for hope, just a shoulder that you can lean on
But ain’t nobody coming, so you scream on
And scream on and scream on
(I think he’s saying that he’s on this train of death, he canāt stop it. Thereās no brake, thereās no way out it keeps moving faster by the minute he canāt comprehend it.)
While this evil fuck laugh at you?
(The grim reaper watching him struggle for his life)
Train getting closer, you still surprised that he battered you
Tears falling harder and harder, minutes get minuscule
Could’ve had a son or a daughter, now what you finna do? Ā
You finna die here on this train track
‘Cause clearly after death, ain’t no way you can find your way back
(After death thereās no way out, no reset button)
Thinking ’bout your previous memories, going way back
All them fucking dreams ’bout the diamond chain and the Maybach
(wasted all his time dreaming about materialistic items than thinking about the more important things in his life)
Now your time finally up
Ask yourself the final question, is you going down or up?
(Asking the question if he’s going to heaven or hell)
Recollectin’ all the moments that you never gave a fuck
(i wanted to say think i think he was scared of death which i do think at one point he was. I feel that as the song goes on he doesnāt even care if he dies anymore)
Now it’s here, death has now arrived, time’s finally up
(Reading this is very dark and just shows how all along he knew death was coming and in fact heād been faced with it many times before. Heās been so close with death almost like he can touch it, but finally itās got him)
XXXTentacion is an interesting character to me, His music was always daunting, Iāve never heard music like his before. Artist more like Billie Eilish , the neighborhood, or Nirvana were more my tune. I guess you could say XXX is almost like if Kurt Cobain where to start rapping, I feel like his music would be similar Ā to XXXās music.(Minus the violent behavior that’s described in XXXās songs)
But XXXTentacion always peaked my interest, i always had a thing for unruly and misunderstood artist. My fascination for him was like the same fascination I had for Kurt Cobain, I spent countless nights and day trying to figure Cobain out. And XXX reminds so much like him, but obviously not entirely because XXX and Kurt are still completely different.
Ā Ā XXXTENTACION also known as Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy had a very violent and traumatic past. Onfroy spent a lot of time in and out of juvenile detention centers for charges like robbery and assault.XXXTentacionās first breakout hit was āLook At Me!ā his mugshot was the song cover. He was in jail when the song started to become more mainstream, XXX was charged with Witness Tampering, And the assault and battery of his pregnant girlfriend. XXX use to rap about things like beating a gay male at a detention center. He often rapped about very violent topics and even Spotify threatened to remove his music because of its vile nature. Some people have struggled trying to figure out XXXTENTACION, I know a lot people wonāt support him even in the slightest for the charges that was made against him and all the violent things he has done and openly shared with the world. Some people even wanting him to die, saying he deserved it. And just maybe he thought so too, why else would he constantly talk about his death? Maybe he already knew all the bad things he did and saw he didnāt deserve to be alive. That could be the reason why he knew he would die so young or maybe he wanted to die young. But our questions arenāt answered and probably never will.
Iāll end with this tweet from XXXTentacion from December 10 2016.
April 28th, 1979 a flower named Patricia Lauretta Viola was born. Started off buried in the ground and slowly grew out of the soil forming a stem, a leaf, and finally a fully bloomed flower. This beautiful flower went through hurricanes, rainfalls, and landslides but it did not dismantle her. On April 10th, 2001, her very own offspring bloomed and that offspring was me, Zevanya Margareth Francien Sibarani.
āģ ź³ ģė¦ė¤ģ“ ė¹ģ ģ ź³ģ
ģ¬źøø ė“ ģģź² ķ¼ģģ¼ėź¹
ė°ė„ģ ėØģ“ģ§ėė¼ė
ź½ źøøė§ ź±·ź² ķ“ ģ¤ź²ģā
(you gave up your youthful and beautiful season. Look at me, I have bloomed prettily. Even if I fall to the ground, I will make you walk only on flower paths)
The song āFlower Roadā was released on November 22, 2016. The song is sung by a South Korean singer and actress named Kim Sejeong. She is a former member of the girl group I.O.I and a current member of the girl group Gugudan. She is under the label of YMC Entertainment but on November 2016, she participated in Jellyfish Entertainmentās music channel and released the famous Korean ballad āFlower Roadā as a soloist (Kim Se-Jeong). The song charted really well throughout seven huge Korean music sites and she also received a trophy on Show Champion ( a music show where they rank the top 5 songs released each month and award the first place a trophy). Her single āFlower Roadā was released on November 2016 and was actually produced by the famous South Korean rapper, record producer, singer-songwriter Zico from the boy group BlockB (Zico (rapper)). In 2015, he appeared as a producer in Koreaās famous rap competition tv show āShow Me the Moneyā. Throughout the years, heās won multiple awards such as āSong of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Male Artist, etc..ā (Zico (rapper)). Zico was highly inspired by the letters Sejeong and Chaeyon (her former member from I.O.I) wrote to their mothers. It was known that Zico writes and gives his music to people he truly feels could make an impact and portray the emotions of the song well.
In the music video, you could only see the image of a mother as it represents Sejeongās family background. Her parents were divorced when she was little and her mother raised both her and her older brother alone. I felt as if she was speaking for me through this song. My parents got divorced when I was younger and Iāve been raised by my mother alone too which made me feel like she could relate to how sorry I actually felt towards my mom. My mom worked day and night supporting not only me but my grandparents and her sisterās family as well. People always thought because she was the youngest child she would become the most spoiled but in reality, sheās carrying the weight of three families on her own. Which is why I am always proud to say that Patricia Lauretta Viola is my mother and thereās absolutely nothing this woman canāt do if she puts her mind to it.
The music video was composed of split screens and parallels which compares the daily routine of the singer, Kim Sejeong, during the past and the present. In one scene, the screen on the left showed Sejeong tucking herself into bed while the opposite screen showed a woman or a mother tucking a little girl (younger Sejeong). The soft and warm colors deeply reflected the presence of the mother even though the motherās face was not seen throughout the music video. As you can see, the left screen has a brighter color palette compared to the right side. I personally think the warmer colors represented the feeling of being safe and calm as she was still under her motherās wing. The brighter colors seem to portray a sense of growth and independence but still filled with the feeling of calmness as blue is known to be a calming color.
Nearing towards the end of the music video, the mother was holding onto the little girlās bike and eventually lets go as she rides the bike on her own. I believe this was to show the mother letting go of her daughter so she can grow, shine and make her own path. I was personally really touched by this scene because it reminded me of when I gave my mom the last hug before I left for my flight to New York. The words she said to me was, āI have raised you well. You are brave, smart and wise. Always remember no matter how far or long weāre apart I will always love and support you. You keep me going and Iām beyond blessed. God gave me the best gift I could ever ask for so remember if you miss me, Iām always a call away.ā
At the end of the music video, Sejeong was holding an umbrella and reaching her hand out to check if it was still raining. The sun was shining and it was probably the brightest filter in the entire music video. I think this was to symbolize that even though the rainy days the sun will come out and things will get better no matter how hard it gets.
As I mentioned earlier, Sejeong received a trophy from Show Champion which showed how well the song was doing. After she received the trophy, she gave a short speech while crying and thanked Zico, the staff, her fans and last but not least her mother and grandfather. Her eyes watered even more when she mentioned her mother and I couldnāt help but cry along with her because I was able to feel her sincerity. Seeing a very beautiful and strong woman openly talk about her family and her love for her mother makes me so happy. Her voice suited the song very well and when watching her live performance you can tell that she meant every word. It wasnāt just a typical ballad song about a breakup, it was a song about a motherās love and her child promising a brighter future for her mother.
Patricia Lauretta Viola is my motivation and my flower. She gives me hope and she helps me persevere. I believe thatās how Kim Sejeong feels whenever she thinks about her mother. She feels gratitude yet her heart aches knowing she will never be able to fully give back the love and support she received. She cries on television shows when hosts ask, āwhat does your mother mean to you?ā She never fails to thank her mother for every achievement, may it be huge or small. To the woman who went through nine risky months to give birth to me, the woman who sacrificed her youth just so I can have an amazing childhood and never experience poverty and lastly the only woman who made me feel beautiful and loved, I promise to only let you walk on a flower path when I get older.
Works Cited:
Jacob, Ryan. āSejeong’s āFlower Pathā Is a Much-Needed Healing Song This Season.ā Seoulbeats, 30 July 2017, seoulbeats.com/2016/11/sejeongs-flower-path-is-a-much-needed-healing-song-this-season/.
āKim Se-Jeong.ā Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Se-jeong.
Footnotes: All lyric quotes are from āJacob, Ryan. āSejeong’s āFlower Pathā ”
Not My President
Society has always been susceptible to media exposure as it determines how receptive society becomes towards certain ideas. The media has evolved into a powerful tool that many people utilize with the goal of expressing their discontent and expose the social issues that are dramatically transforming our society. Individuals can use a wide range of methods to express their beliefs. For example, the 2016 presidential election was very controversial as it showcased the diverse ideologies that our current president has towards immigrants in this country. He used the presidential platform to degrade immigrants, provoking a sense of xenophobia amongst the American people. On the other hand, there are artist who employs the same platform to spread positivity and political awareness. Two controversial songs that were published before and after Ā the presidential election demonstrated the resistance among many minority groups in our communities. On the other hand, the songs also exposed the inability of those same communities to make the right presidential choice.
Trump’s discriminatory remarks stimulated society’s interest in a way that enabled people to express themselves through music. The song āFuck Donald Trump by YG and Nipsey Hussle, emerged before the presidential election. Not only was the song used as a method to express oneās opposition towards the political climate at the time, but the song can also be analyzed as a warning to the American People. The song states, āDon’t let Donald Trump win, that nigga cancer…He can’t make decisions for this countryā¦we can’t be a slave for himā. When I first heard this song, it seemed to me as a cry for help to the American people and listing the many reasons why he should not get societyās support. The song also alludes to the injustices that minorities experience in society when he states, āAnd if you been to jail you can [probably] still voteā. A lot of minorities do not enjoy the privilege to vote as a consequence of previous convictions for minor crimes. The songs also empower Ā the youth by saying āWe the youth, We the people of this country, we got a voice too, we will be seen, and we will be heardā, with the hope of encouraging them to vote. On the other hand, even when it uses these expressions as a way to appeal to the public, there are many barriers that hinder peopleās ability to vote. Both undocumented residents and legal residents of the United States do not have the right to vote, which subsequently leads to lack of participation.
The song āNot My Presidentā was published on February 12, 2017. The slogan āNot My Presidentā turned into a movement after the 2016 presidential election. At first, I had mixed feelings with this song as it represented a general ideology of the current political status. As an immigrant from Hungary I have experienced discrimination, but I found myself conflicted with choosing whether I could relate to the song or not. When I first got exposed to this song, I thought I was very catchy as the artist presented the public with a humorous description of Donald Trump by stating āDonald trump look like a bird from the sesame’sā. It then took a more serious approach when the song addresses the negative comments Donald trump has made about Mexican immigrants residing in the United States. Added to that, the artist states, āand this is the guy that we picked for our next president, fuck that yo, you really got me fucked upā. To a certain extent the artist is also criticizing the American people’s ability to vote for a president. Very frequently, citizens do not take their democratic duties seriously and sometimes take it for granted while other people like myself, wished they had the opportunity to voice their concerns. Ā Therefore, we are forced to leave these political choices in the hands of American citizens who look within their own individual needs to pick the leader of our country.
The phrase āNot My Presidentā is problematic because it does not only show, but it also shows the inequality of votes among the American people. Both of these songs attest to the fact that not everyone can vote. Those who protest might have not had the ability to make their voices be heard. I, myself, was not able to vote and as much as I did not like the results, one has to acknowledge that it is one’s responsibility to make their voices be heard. Minorities in our community have let upper middle-class individuals from making decisions regarding our future due to the lack of education or the lack of interest. Both of these songs serve as a mechanism to spread awareness and educate people on the social issues that are affecting our daily lives. When the artist states āI thought all that Donald Trump bullshit was a jokeā illustrate our current president used the how people thought it was absurd for Donald Trump to run for president. Nevertheless, the use of joke served as a method of propaganda that resulted in his election. Ā On the other hand, his victory was a wakeup call for a lot of people to devote more of their time worrying about issues that matter.
As 20-year-old student, I was never involved in politics as I knew my voice did not count as I have yet not earned the right to vote. To a certain degree, I was convinced that Donald Trump used his political platform to speak about undocumented immigrants because he understood that as much as they opposed his beliefs their votes would not count. However, as I witnessed peoplesā resistance through the media I have been diligent in finding practical ways to keep myself involved. I strive to become more educated about potential presidential candidates while influencing others who have the privilege to vote.
